Shannen Doherty is standing by her claim that Alyssa Milano got her fired.
In December, Doherty and her “Charmed” co-star Holly Marie Combs alleged that Milano orchestrated Doherty’s exit from their hit WB series in 2001.
Milano pushed back on the allegation during a “Who’s the Boss?” panel Friday at MegaCon Orlando by saying it’s “sad that people can’t move past it.”
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“This was so long ago that any retelling of these stories from anyone is just revisionist history,” Milano added in an Instagram post over the weekend. In the same post, Milano alleged that Doherty was fired after a professional mediator investigated accusations made against her on set and then pinned her exit on producers and the studio.
“I did not have the power to get anyone fired,” Milano wrote. “Once Shannen left we had 5 more successful seasons and I am forever grateful.”
Doherty responded to Milano’s denial of any wrongdoing during a “Charmed” panel on Sunday on the last day of MegaCon Orlando.
While sitting between Combs and Rose McGowan, who replaced Doherty on “Charmed,” Doherty got emotional while reading a statement about the situation.
“Holly and I, we were not mean on the podcast — my podcast, ‘Let’s Be Clear.’ In fact, we went in and we edited out anything that we felt would cause more drama,” Doherty began. “We simply told the truth because the truth actually does matter. But we wanted to try to save you, the fans, from heartbreak as much as humanly possible.”
The “Beverly Hills, 90210” actor, who is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 breast cancer that has spread to her bones, said her diagnosis affected her decision to speak out about Milano.
“At this point in my life with my health diagnosis — I’m sorry if I start crying — with fighting horrific disease every day of my life, it is also incredibly important to me that the truth actually be told as opposed to the narrative that others put out there for me.
“We told it together, we told our truths and we are standing by our truths,” Doherty added of the claims she and Combs made on her podcast. “There is no revisionist history happening in the truth that I know we told. … There is no lateness to set, there is no mediator for months on end. I recall the facts as if I was still living in them.”
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The “Heathers” actor added that “what somebody else may call drama is an actual trauma for me that I have lived with for an extremely long time.”
Doherty concluded: “And it is only through my battle with cancer that I decided to address this trauma and be open and honest about it so that I can actually heal from a livelihood that was taken away from me. A livelihood that was taken away from my family because somebody else wanted to be number one on the call sheet. That is the truth.”
McGowan, who worked with Milano on “Charmed” from 2001 to 2006, then chimed in. “We’ve protected you [the show’s fans] for a long time. We’ve done it for as long as we could. All of us.” She then shared a quote from comedian Katt Williams.
“He has a wonderful saying, ‘Winners do not let losers rewrite history,’” McGowan said, casting Milano as the loser now.
In December, Doherty and Combs said during two episodes of the “Let’s Be Clear” podcast that Milano was consistently competitive with Doherty because Doherty was billed as the star of “Charmed.”
During one podcast episode, Combs also recalled a conversation she had with “Charmed” producer Jonathan Levin, who allegedly told her that Milano threatened to sue, claiming a hostile workplace environment, if Doherty wasn’t fired from the show.
“He said, you know, ‘We’re basically in a position where it’s one or the other. We were told [by Milano] that it’s [Doherty] or me, and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment,’” Combs said.
Combs added that Milano had “built a case for herself” by documenting for a mediator every time she felt uncomfortable on set. Combs said that Milano’s threat of legal action “by today’s standard, it wouldn’t fucking fly,” noting there were never any “brawls” or “harsh words” on set between Doherty and Milano.
“I don’t ever remember being mean to [Milano] on set,” Doherty said on her podcast, noting how she once worked around some things for Milano for a “Charmed” episode that Doherty directed.
“I couldn’t have been more kind and understanding,” Doherty said.
